Mario Superstar Strikers
''Mario Superstar Strikers ''is an upcoming Wii U game and the third installment in the Mario Strikers series. It has a lot of similarities to past installments, especially Mario Strikers Charged, returning Super Abilities as well as Mega Strikes for captains, and Skillshots for the many different sidequicks. The game brings more variety in both character and stage rosters, as well as a few new modes including a Special Games mode. This game kind of maintains the realistic sci-fi tones, but a little bit more of the common bright and whimsical cartoon themes has been implemented as well. The game also supports Nintendo Network connection for online multiplayer, working similarly to Charged's Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Gameplay Like in past installments, Mario Superstar Strikers is based on street football. A new gameplay addition is that now teams have up to 11 members rather than 5: one being the goalkeeper, one captain and the other nine playing as offensive/defensive sidekicks. The two teams face off against each other to kick the ball into the goal within the time limit, which can be from two to five minutes (three minutes being the default amount). They may also choose to compete to reach a certain amount of goals first. When the time runs out, whoever has the most goals (or the next goal, if sudden death occurs) wins the match. If the score is tied at the end of the set amount, the current music will speed-up and the alarm will sound, signaling sudden death. Like in Charged, characters wear protective gear, and the ball is metallic. Various power-ups and items can also be used in order to take advantage during a match. Player Roles Captain As the name implies, this player is the captain, heading the team. The captain is supported by nine offensive and defensive sidekicks and one goalie. The captain always plays an offensive role, and is able to perform a Special Ability on the stadium for a short period of time, and also Mega Strikes at the moment of kicking the ball into the goal. Every captain as an unique ability and Mega Strike, although some share slight similarities. Offensive Sidekicks Those sidekicks play an offensive role during matches, being lined-up behind the captain and in front of the Defensive sidekicks. There are up to five offensive sidekicks. Defensive Sidekicks Defensive ones play behind both offensive sidekicks and the captain, in an attempt to defend the ball from reaching the goalie. There are up to four defensive sidekicks. Goalkeeper Also known as keeper or just goalie, this team member is very important, being the final line of defense. They are permitted to use their hands to block goals, but often are forced to use their bodies to do so. Basic Skills *'Movement or Dribbling': Nothing more than the character's ability to move towards the desired direction when not in possession of the ball. If the player has the ball, they will dribble instead *'Deke': An advanced move players con perform to trick their opponents, faking a certain direction and dodging opponent tackles or steals. Players can dodge the slide tackles while maintaining the ball's charge for extended periods of time. *'Pass': As the name implies, this offensive skill allows the player to pass the ball to another player. Passing the ball charges it up, making it easier to score a goal once the ball has been repeatedly passed between members of the same team. *'Shoot': Basically a more powerful version of the Pass. It is used to score goals. When performing the move, the game automatically targets the goal from the player's position, no matter where the player currently is. Shoots can be charged to increase chances of success. A flip shoot can be done if performed while the player receives a pass. *'Clear': A move that allows a player to kick the ball to the other side of the field. It is often useful when crowded by opponents. *'Player Switch': When the opposing team is in possession of the ball, players can switch characters at will, often in order to control the character nearest to the opposing player that has the ball. *'Slide Tackle': Performed in the same way faking is performed, this move allows players without the ball to steal the ball. *'Big Hit': A devastating move that allows the player to hit their opponents in hopes of making them lose the ball. However, this move does not give immediate control over the ball. *'Items': Players may use an item in the team's inventory. Items that activate a captain's Super Ability can only be used by the captain. Special Captain Skills *'Mega Strike': More powerful than the standard shot, a Mega Strike is performed when a captain fully charges their shot. Through proper timing, the player determines the number of balls as a meter swings to the left. When the meter moves back towards the right past the original starting point, proper timing determines ball speed. After the shot specifics have been determined, the captain launches into the air, powers up further and then slams the ball towards the goalie, who then attempts the Mega Strike Block. *'Special Ability': Each captain may obtain a character-specific item during the course of a game. If the player is not playing as the Captain, the computer performs the move instead. Super Abilities are the most devastating when used to free up a captain for the Mega Strike. Special Sidekick Skills *'Skillshot': Very similar to a Mega Strike, a Skillshot is performed when the sidekick fully charges their shot, although it's less powerful and doesn't feature a cutscene. The resultant shot is coupled with an attack on the goalie. Depending on the sidekick, the shot will be different. Goalie/Keeper Skills *'Pass': The goalie's basic move when in possession of the ball, passing the ball to put it back into play. *'Punt': Similar to the clear, it allows the goalkeeper to move the ball far away from the goal. Effective when the goal is surrounded by the opposing team. *'Body Check': An automatic brutal hit. If opponents remain in the goal box too long or make contact with the goalie while he has the ball, he attacks by either kicking or hitting them. *'Mega Strike Block': This skill occurs when the opposing team's captain performs a Mega Strike. When it happens, it is up to the goalie to block as many balls as possible. The player assumes a first-person view from the goalie’s eyes and moves the hands of the goalie, represented by two hand icons. When a ball approaches, touching it in the GamePad's screen deflects and destroys it. Depending on the speed of the balls set in the opposing Mega Strike, the player has a few seconds for each ball or less. Items Items are one of the most critical elements during a match as part of a team's strategy. Any team member is able to use items regardless of which player earned it. Special Ability items, however, can only be activated by the Captain. Offensive Items The offensive items are often devastating, and very helpful at blocking Mega Strikes, clearing the field or for taking possession of the ball. Defensive Items The defensive items beef up the user and are particularly useful for scoring goals without the use of Mega Strikes. Game Modes Superstar Tournament 1 to 4 players This is the standard tournament mode of the game. Players are challenged by various teams across six cups. As the mode progresses, the difficulty increases. Alternatively, players can choose to play in Extreme Mode, which makes the game difficult from the beginning. The mode maintains the tournament ladder system. All-Star Mode 1 to 4 players Essentially the same as Grudge and Domination Modes from Super Mario Strikers and Mario Strikers Charged, respectively. Two teams are created and the player can then decide in which team they wish to play on. In this mode you are free to choose gimmicks for the match, set the time limit or number of goals needed to win the match, etc. Nintendo Network Mode The online mode of the game. Players with access to the Internet will be able to play with anyone around the world or in their region through the Nintendo Network connection. Players are able to play in Ranked Matches, Friend Matches or Online Tournaments. *'Ranked Matches': In ranked matches, the player is set to play a match against a random player (usually in the same level) worldwide or in their region. When winning a Ranked Match, players earn Striker Points based upon their ranking. If losing, players lose points instead. *'Friend Matches': Players can play against friends from the Friends menu. Friend play options are equivalent to All-Star Mode options. *'Online Tournament': The online equivalent to Superstar Tournament. Players can join available worldwide or regional tournaments and play different matches against other players in order to increase their position in the tournament. Winning tournament matches also gives players Striker Points to increase their rankings. Players can also create their own tournaments and choose a name, an icon, set the rules, etc. *'Special Tournament': An alternate version of the online tournament. Special Tournaments are very similar to the Tournaments from Mario Kart Wii in the fact that pre-established special rules, gimmicks or challenges are set for each tournament. Gimmicks and missions are usually different from the ones seen regularly in the game. Stadiums are also somewhat altered in some tournaments. Tournaments happen once in a while and players can take part of it while it lasts. Striker Challenges 1 Player Returning from Charged. In this game, the number of challenges doesn't rely on the number of captains and instead a larger amount of challenges is added. In fact, in some challenges, the player is free to choose their desired character. However, opponents are mostly pre-established, although this is also not always the case. Special Challenges can also be played in Special Tournaments by using the Nintendo Network Mode. Some challenges feature Bosses. In all Boss Challenges players are able to choose their characters. Special Games 1 to 4 Players A new game mode that features 8 minigames, 1 for certain new stadiums. Special Games usually differ a lot from actual soccer, having unique tasks for the players. In this mode, captains and sidekicks are all considered regular playable characters, and sidekicks' colors don't depend on teams and instead have a default coloration. List of Special Games coming soon. Strikers Academy 1 Player The Strikers Academy is the tutorial mode of the game where the player can learn the game's rules and controls. There is a total of 12 lessons. To take a look at the lessons, see: Mario Superstar Strikers/Strikers Academy. Others Spoils Players can view their awards and records. Options Players can adjust the game's various settings such as the audio, the screen ratio, the controls, etc. Characters Each character has their own advantages and disadvantages. However, players can mix players' despite their disadvantages in order to either create a strategic team to offset the disadvantages or just for likings. Each character also has their own theme song, playing during their home entrance or whenever they score a goal. Theme songs have a different genre for each character in order to somewhat represent their personalities. Captains The captains are the ones that head a team, and the only ones capable of performing Special Abilities and Mega Strikes. Default Captains Unlockable Captains Sidekicks Sidekicks are, of course, also an important aspect of any team. Like in the last installment, different types of sidekicks can be chosen for one team. Default Sidekicks Unlockable Sidekicks Goalkeepers Goalkeepers, also known as goalies or keepers, are sidekicks that block goals. Unlike past installments, the player is able to change the goalkeeper, instead of being just Kritter. However, the amount of goalkeepers is still very short, with only three and one of them being unlockable. Stadiums Like in Mario Strikers Charged, each stadium in this game features unique gimmicks and dangers. The game brings new fields along with some returning ones from the previous two installments. New Stadiums Returning Stadiums Cups Unlike the previous installments, this game features six cups rather than three or eight. Winning each cup results in unlocking the defending champion, the corresponding championship match stadium and the next cup. The Robin-Round style is reused: a win is worth 3 points, a loss is worth 0 points and losing a sudden-death loss is worth 1 point. Teams are still ranked by points at the end of the qualifying rounds, with the top two going to the elimination round being semi-finals and finals. If the player loses here, they must restart the cup. If making it to the defending champion, they must win a 3-game series in the same stadium. The Golden Foot and Brick Wall awards return with the same purpose. The Golden Foot is awarded for the most GF (goals for) total, while the Brick Wall is awarded for the most GA (goals against) total. If the player wins both in one cup, a new stadium is unlocked. Rookie Cups The first three cups. These cups are easy when compared to the Superstar Cups, but the difficulty still increases with each cup. In Extreme Mode, these cups are almost as hard as the first Superstar cups. Superstar Cups The Superstar Cups are harder than the Rookie Cups even if the player chooses Extreme Mode. Like in the Rookie Cups, the difficulty increases with each cup. Challenges Gallery Artwork Goomba MSS.png|Goomba Magikoopa MSS.png|Magikoopa Luma MSS.png|Luma Logos and Box Arts MSS Logo.png|Logo. MSS Boxart.png|American box art. MSS BoxartEurope.png|European box art. Trivia Category:Soccer Games Category:Fan Games Category:DohIMissed's Games Category:Multiplayer Games Category:Single Player Games Category:Online Games Category:Wii U Games Category:Home Console Games Category:Nintendo Network Category:Sports Games Category:Mario Spin-offs Category:Rated E10+ Games Category:2015 Category:Games Category:Football Games Category:Soccer Category:Mario Strikers (series) Category:Mario (series) Category:Mario Games